Based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Roman Catholic nun Helen Prejean (which has also inspired a play and an opera), this 1995 film stars Susan Sarandon in an Academy Award–winning portrayal of Prejean. The film, adapted by director Tim Robbins, is about the relationship Prejean forms with a condemned man (Sean Penn) before his execution. (Prejean herself became an outspoken advocate for abolishing the death penalty.) Penn and Robbins both earned Oscar nominations for this powerful film, as did Bruce Springsteen for his title song.